Blood in the Stream
by eastofthesol
Summary: Five years have passed since Sozin's Comet and being the Avatar's "girl" has caused Katara to lose herself in the journey of Aang's growth. When demons from Katara's past comes back to haunt her, she enlists the help of a familiar face. This is a journey of Katara confronting her fears, and most importantly, herself.
1. Introduction

Five years have passed since Sozin's Comet and being the Avatar's "girl" has caused Katara to lose herself in the journey of Aang's growth. Aang gave her life while also taking it away. Though she quickly grew to love him like no other, the love grew out of necessity, not desire. It was like loving a child at first but it changed and so did he. His emotions matured to a great degree. He became a man that she couldn't help but love. And he loves her with every ounce of his being. She was and still is the only thing he desires out of life and that's unnerving for her at times.

Katara felt like his prize, his catch. In the eyes of many, she was the Avatar's possession because she lost her autonomy once the war ended. She was no longer his teacher, his best friend, or even Katara: the Waterbending Legend. She become his love and was stripped of all other titles. Despite the atrocities of the war and all the pain they and many others suffered through, she grew to miss the journey they had as a family. Teaching Aang bending and assisting him on his Avatar journey gave her purpose. During those months, Katara was necessary for Aang's growth and survival, and essentially the world's survival.

But months passed after the Comet and she had no voice in the diplomatic affairs of the nations. Aang was the peacekeeper, not the ruler of the world. She was the peacekeeper's leading lady and that held no authority. Though many people respect and even fear her waterbending abilities, benders aren't born leaders. Blood still leads and she comes from very little back home.

Home became a personal project for a while. Sokka was quick to jump on board to help their father rebuild the Southern Water Tribe and restore it to its former glory. It didn't take long before it rivaled even the Northern Tribe. Katara held a large part in that by reconstructing the entire infrastructure of the ice and making it a beautiful fortress. However, Sokka designed it and that awarded him more credit. Katara didn't mind that because he always felt less than the group by being coined the "idea guy".

After that, Katara spent a few months in the Northern tribe teaching benders both young and old. Her people valued her opinion enough to do away with their ridiculous sexist customs and she was able to teach women and men alike her techniques. Katara felt truly fulfilled and blissful during that time. Aang also found time to visit frequently and she saw him just enough to miss him. He would always leave her with promises of their future and the uninterrupted time they would spend together. It made her swoon at that time.

Eventually, Katara taught all she knew or rather, all she was willing to share with others, and her purpose disappeared from the North Pole.

After she stopped teaching the daily waterbending and healing lessons, she remained in the North Pole and her days began to seep together. Time slowed but weeks would pass at a time without her even noticing. It wasn't easy feeling like she had lost everything while the world celebrated and reveled in peace and prosperity. There was an enormous pressure on her to be the cheerful companion to the Avatar. A lot was expected of her that she never agreed to or agreed with. She wasn't royalty and she had very little interest in being treated like it.

She saw how people looked at she and Aang after the war. They couldn't be seen together without being met with watchful, prying eyes. People wanted to dissect the young Avatar and his watertribe peasant girlfriend who destroyed the firelord together.

Katara was ready to have purpose again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I've had this story gathering dust in my computer for over a year so I've finally decided to post it. Just to be clear, this is a Zutara fic that's going to be a slow progression. This will probably be a long story, if there are people who actually want to read it. I've always considered both Katara and Zuko to be fascinating and compelling characters so I'm going to capitalize on those traits in this story. Please review and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 1

Katara was awoken by the loud, vibrating sound of gongs ringing through the morning air. They rung repeatedly for what felt like an eternity before fading out into the cold silence. She knew immediately that the gongs meant Aang had arrived to the North Pole. The Northern tribe rarely ever received visitors from anyone other than Aang because the icy tundra was too dangerous for a non-waterbender to cross. They always made a big to-do when he arrived because they valued him so.

The idea of returning to sleep instead of greeting Aang tempted her but she knew it would be wrong of her to do so. She slowly sat up and looked around her room. The morning sun barely filtered in through the thick curtains drawn over the windows as she squinted in the darkness looking for her fur boots. She slowly heaved herself out of bed and felt the ache of her body as she moved. Her nights had grown restless and her body was still adjusting to such distress. She slipped on her fur boots and large fur coat and reluctantly made her way out of the room and down the stairs.

Her house was given to her, or rather to Aang and herself, as a gift for saving the Northern Water tribe from the Fire Nation many years ago. Aang initially couldn't accept such a thing because it was his duty to help others. Katara, on the other hand, was ecstatic to have a place to call home there. But that ecstasy vanished entirely after living there for so long. She felt the house was far too large for her to live in by herself when Aang was away, so it felt like a forgotten place most of the time.

Once she reached the front door of the house, it occurred to her that she probably looked like a disheveled mess and considered taking a quick bath before greeting Aang. She thought about it for a moment then realized that he would love her no matter how she looked and she settled for combing her hair instead. She walked into the bathroom and stared agape at her face in the icy mirror.

She hadn't really cared about her appearance for the past months and it was apparent. Her skin had paled significantly as a result of her rarely leaving the house. Her cheekbones were more prominent and verged on looking hollow. The bags under her eyes had grown darker and deeper. She didn't look herself anymore. Though she didn't feel much like herself either so it made sense.

She splashed some water from the basin onto her face and then lightly hit it to wake herself up. She tried to tackle her mane with the hairbrush and ended up making it more frizzy and tangled. She let out a long, exasperated sigh and leaned against the side of the water basin. She could feel her throat closing and her heartbeat accelerate as tears welled up behind her eyes.

"No, Katara, stop it. You can't do this right now," she pleaded to herself.

She focused on steadying her breathing for a few minutes then decided she was in no shape to face Aang like this. Even if he didn't love her any less because of how she looked, he would be distressed and concerned and probably a little scared of her current state.

Suddenly she heard the sound of the front door opening and she scrambled to wipe the fresh tears from her face.

"Katara? I'm home!" she heard Aang call from the front of the house. The sound of excitement in his deepening voice managed to send her over the edge. The amount of warmth in just the way he said her name caused me to experience a wave of guilt and shame.

She began sobbing and didn't understand why it was so overwhelmingly strong this time. She cursed herself for being such an emotional mess then quickly closed the door to the bathroom. She leaned against it and let her body slide to the floor.

"Katara? Katara?" Aang called. She debated whether or not to respond or to pretend she wasn't there. She didn't know how she was going to explain herself to Aang and she didn't want to see the pain on his face as he watched her cry.

She heard footsteps outside the bathroom door and instinctively held her breath, hoping he wouldn't hear her.

"Katara, are you in there?" Aang knocked lightly on the door. "Katara?"

She breathed deeply then rose slowly from her slumped position on the floor.

"Hi, Aang! Yeah, I'm here. I was just cleaning up real quick before going to see you!" She hoped Aang couldn't detect the fake enthusiasm in her voice or notice the inflections in her words as she spoke.

There was silence for a long moment and she wondered if he had walked away.

"Oh, okay. Well, would you like anything to eat? I'm starved!" he called through the door with less cheerfulness this time. She could tell that he knew something was wrong with her, which was not something he was usually attuned to doing.

_Wow_, she thought to herself, _I must really be a mess_.

"Yeah, that would be nice!" She replied calmly, hoping nothing more slipped through the cracks of her façade.

"Sea prunes sound good?" he asked.

"Mmm, yes. I would love those! Thank you, Aang!" She smiled softly to herself then grimaced at the thought of actually eating. Even her favorite water tribe dish didn't appeal to her anymore.

She heard his light footsteps walk away, towards the kitchen, and sighed with relief. The prunes would take an hour to cook and she needed that amount of time to compose herself before seeing him face-to-face.

After she showered and made herself as presentable as possible in her current state, she went downstairs to finally greet Aang. She walked into the kitchen and stared at the tall, broad-shouldered monk she once loved with all her being. His back faced her as he stirred the pot of sea prunes over the fire. She stared at his yellow tunic and the visible arrow tattoo descending down his neck.

She approached him cautiously and stood next to him as he cooked. Her stomach began to churn as she breathed in a large whiff of the prunes and spices.

"Mmm, yummm," she falsely enthused.

Aang set down the spoon he used to stir the pot and removed it from above the fire. He poured the prunes into two separate bowls then cooled the pot with waterbending and set it back down over the fire. He sighed then turned to look at Katara. His face was etched with concern and she realized that he knew something was wrong. She forcefully smiled up at him and cocked her head to the side, pretending she didn't understand why he looked so worried.

His hand quickly grabbed Katara and he pulled her close to him in a warm embrace. Katara stood with her hands by her side for a moment before she realized that she needed to react. She placed her hands lightly around Aang and stood there in uncomfortable silence. After a minute, Aang ran his fingers delicately through her hair then kissed her forehead and stared down at her with sorrowful eyes. She couldn't help but avert her eyes because of the intensity of his gaze.

"Katara, I know something is wrong. I wish you would tell me what it is," Aang pleaded softly as he tucked her hair behind her ears.

She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by his affectionate gestures. They felt possessive as usual. It felt like he was asserting his place by always touching her, like she was a shiny trophy that one always had to polish.

Katara slowly stepped backwards, casually releasing Aang's grip on her and said, "I'm okay, Aang. Really." She forced a smile then turned to sit on a kitchen chair. She grabbed a bowl of sea prunes and began swirling them around with her bending. Aang grabbed two wooden spoons from the drawer of eating utensils and handed one to her as he sat down next to her. She felt his intensifying gaze as she picked absentmindedly at the food. She wished he would leave so she wouldn't have to eat the unappetizing food.

After what felt like a decade of silence, Aang sighed and said, "We've known each other for a long time. You have helped with all of my struggles as the Avatar and as a person. My gratitude and my love for you has never faltered, Katara," he paused and turned his body to face hers. "I can't help but feel hurt because we've shared so much and now you've completely closed yourself off."

Katara smiled at Aang's trademark straightforwardness. He rarely beat around the bush when it came to sensitive subject matter. It resulted from being the Avatar. Katara stared at her full bowl of prunes and debated whether or not it was time to tell Aang how she truly felt. How could she tell the Avatar, the most important person in the world, that she simply didn't love him anymore? It was difficult for her to bear and she couldn't imagine how Aang would react. She felt warm tears run down her cheeks and watched as they dropped into the bowl of smelly prunes. Katara knew that she would have to tell Aang _something_ to justify her crying. She let more tears roll down her cheeks then it dawned on her. Her stomach churned at the idea; she knew it would be awful to say but she quickly decided it was for the best.

"Oh, Katara, please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you."

She looked up at Aang with blurry-eyed vision and stared at him as best she could. She took in his strong cheekbones and the subtle amount of black stubble growing on his chin. His grey eyes bore into her, desperately looking for some indication of her pain. Her lip began to quiver and she decided she was giving to give this show her all. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes and her body began to shake.

"Aang, I'm… so…. sorry!" Katara exclaimed through choked sobs as she threw her arms around his strong neck. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed violently.

She felt Aang wrap his arms around her and rub her back rhythmically.

"Shh, it's okay. Can you tell me what's wrong so I can try to help you?" he said with concern dripping from his every word.

"I just—I just—it's so hard, Aang. It's so hard," she whispered into his chest.

"What is, Katara?"

Katara thought it over once more. She could either tell Aang the truth or lie. Both would have negative repercussions, she imagined. One more so than the other.

"I…I… miss my mother, Aang. I can't stop thinking about her," Katara sobbed as she lifted her head from his chest and stared at him. "These past few years… it's just been so hard. I have so many questions for her about my life and my choices, and more importantly, about you and I." She paused then looked away from Aang. "She's the only one that can guide me and I feel so lost, like a large part of me is missing. She was my mother, Aang, my mother and I'll never see her again." She finished softly and leaned back into Aang's chest and cried.

As Katara sat there, waiting for Aang to respond, she realized that she was not lying or putting on a show. Everything that she said felt real, like they were words waiting to be spoken all this time. She began to question the root of her sadness altogether. Maybe Aang wasn't the problem after all? She didn't know what to think at that point. She just felt a sick, all-encompassing sadness and she wanted it to stop.

"What if we take a trip to go see your father and Sokka? We could stay in the South Pole for as long as you want. How does that sound?" Aang asked.

Katara mulled it over in her head. She did miss her family but she didn't think it would fix her problem as long as Aang was there, hovering over her. But she knew that a change of scenery would be good for her regardless. She wiped her face into Aang's clothes then sat up and wiped the flowing tears from her eyes.

"What about your Avatar duties? You can't just leave those behind," She said matter-of-factly, hoping Aang wouldn't see through her.

"Things aren't as hectic as they used to be. Most of the work I do now involves helping people rebuild their lives since the war ended. But none of that matters, Katara. You need me and that's what is most important."

Katara instantly felt nauseated at the idea of Aang dropping everything just to be with her. Guilt took root in her throat.

"I couldn't live with myself if you were to forgo your Avatar duties just to help me feel better, Aang. Maybe I could assist you with some along the way to the South Pole?"

Aang nodded enthusiastically then smiled and cupped her face in his warm hand.

"It would be just like old times," he said.

She placed her hand over his and felt a genuine smile cross her face.

* * *

><p>That evening, as the sun set over the glittering North Pole, Katara decided she would visit her former Master Pakku before her departure the following day. She visited him at his home and they discussed several pupils' training and different waterbending techniques. She informed him of her plans to travel the world once more, in the name of finding herself. Certain details were omitted like her lack of love for Aang and her restless mind but he understood her nonetheless. She had grown to genuinely care for the old man despite their initially rocky relationship. She would miss his wit and tenacity once she left.<p>

As Katara left Master Pakku's home, she noticed an overwhelming feeling of energy surge through her body. She knew immediately what that meant as she gazed up at the full moon that illuminated the night sky. The pulsing energy made her crave the months of adventuring around the world. She never thought she would long for the thrill of her once nomadic lifestyle.

She walked leisurely through the deep blue streets of the city, taking in the architecture. She didn't realize how late it was as she noticed most of the building lights were not on. But she continued to walk at a slow pace because she didn't want to return to Aang just yet. And she felt better than she had felt in ages because of the allure of the full moon. She decided to take a route not frequently traveled and turned into an alley on the market side of the city.

As she made her way around the corner of the building, she heard the muffled sound of several pairs of footsteps running overhead. She looked up in time to see the body of a girl being lifted up and suspended in thin air over the building closest to her. The girl was silent and motionless as she floated off the side of the building. Katara couldn't make sense of what she was looking at before the girl dropped and fell quickly into the calm river that flowed through the city's streets.

Katara quickly bent the water surrounding the girl and lifted her seemingly lifeless body out of the water and laid her gently on the ground. Her eyes shot up to the top of the building and saw two figures cloaked in black staring at her. The girl began to cough up water and Katara shifted her attention back to her. As she knelt down beside her, Katara realized that she was one of her former students, Sanna, from the second-level waterbending class.

She stroked Sanna's face and calmly asked if she was hurt.

Sanna slowly leaned up and rested her weight on Katara. She didn't respond but instead continued to cough up water until her coughs became small, hiccup-like sobs. She let the young girl cry for a few minutes and stroked her hair before asking her what happened.

"I was coming home from my friend Noey's house and I heard footsteps behind me after a few minutes of walking. I turned around and I saw these people, two or three of them, dressed in black. That's all I saw. And I didn't even scream. I just ran, I just ran…" she said as her eyes trailed off. "I used that bending move you showed us and I lifted myself off the ground with the water and I was on that building. They were right behind me the entire time then…I…lost…control of…my _body_…" she whimpered as she absently stared past Katara, into the abyss of her mind. "I thought they were water-benders then they…they…reached inside of me and lifted me off the ground…"

A wave of fear mixed with dread washed over Katara as she finally began to understand what she saw.

"Why were they after you, Sanna?"

Sanna's large blue eyes blinked rapidly then focused on Katara.

"They wanted you," she whispered. "They told me to give you this message after they cornered me…they said… that they '_know'_."

Katara felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She didn't understand what was going on. Hama was the first and only bloodbender, so she thought. It didn't make sense for it to be something practiced by others at large. It terrified her to think of what could be done in the wrong hands. And now she knew—they would attack young girls and assault people in the dark. And they _knew_? What exactly did they _know_? That she was also a _bloodbender_? The thought sent chills down her spine.

"Sanna, I'm going to tell you this and I want you to listen closely," she put her hands on the young girl's shoulders. "That bending that they performed on you, it's a form of powerful waterbending that I—," Katara didn't know if she was ready to expose the evil art of bloodbending just yet so she decided she would lie. "–I can't even do. They bend the water that's right outside your body, all the pores in your skin, all that sweat—they bend that. It's a delicate and strenuous form and I'm sorry you had to suffer through it."

Sanna nodded slowly and closed her eyes, as if playing the whole scene in her head once more.

"But why did I feel it _inside_ of me?" she questioned in a small voice.

Katara wasn't in the shape to create a boldfaced lie so she continued to work with what she had.

"I honestly don't know, Sanna. You were scared; everything feels different when you're frightened. Sometimes I feel out of my own body in those kinds of situations. But we have to get you home now. Your parents are probably worried sick," Katara said as she lifted Sanna from the ground and put her arm around her.

* * *

><p>Katara timidly opened the front door of her home and quietly stepped inside, hoping not to wake Aang. She expected to see him sitting at the kitchen table, awaiting her arrival but he was not there. The entire house was dark and silent. She tiptoed her way upstairs and into her room. A smile crossed her face when she saw Aang sleeping soundly in their bed. She was grateful that she wouldn't have to explain why she was getting home so late that night.<p>

She stripped herself of the top layer of her clothes and her boots then crawled into bed beside Aang. The night's events swirled around her head and prevented her from falling asleep.

Sanna's parents were truly horrified after Katara explained to them what happened. They said that crime was so rare in the North Pole and she informed them that it wasn't a random attack on their daughter. They wanted Katara and she was leaving the city the next day. The North Pole would be safe once more.

Her greatest fear wasn't that a rouge group of waterbenders were after her. She was terrified that other people were practicing bloodbending and inflicting harm on others. Though Sanna was not physically harmed, she would be scarred for life.

Katara knew what it felt like to have someone reach inside you and control your own body. It was something that couldn't be easily expressed. But she also knew what it felt like to control another and she couldn't fathom the idea of a group of people hunting and _bending_ a little girl just to get their message across.

Why couldn't they have hunted Katara herself? Why did they go through Sanna to threaten her?

Katara felt sick to her stomach as more questions swirled around in her head. She was grateful to be leaving the North Pole but she knew that she would have followers wherever she went. These people seemed to favor mind games over actual confrontation and that worried her. She was suddenly at ease with the idea of having the Avatar at her literal side. She rolled over and faced Aang. He looked almost like a kid again when he was asleep. A twinge of sadness rose up in her throat that was different from her normal grief. She recognized it as guilt.

She felt guilty for not loving Aang the right way and knowing it was all her fault. The Avatar, of all people, was in her bed. He loved her and kissed her and his eyes lit up every time he saw her but she felt very little towards him anymore.

_I'm the luckiest girl in the world_, she thought. _But I feel like the saddest_.

She slowly leaned over and kissed Aang on the forehead then turned her back to face him. Warm tears rolled down her face as she stared through the opened window at the full moon in the sky.


End file.
